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Endocrine System
3.6 Functions, Definitions & Vocabulary
What are its functions?

System of ductless glands.

Regulates body functions via hormone secretion into the bloodstream.

Functions with nervous system in regulating various activities that are vital
for the maintaining the balance within the body.

What are hormones?

Chemical messengers, that carries instructions towards the target cells to
change their activities

What are the two types of hormones?

Steroid Hormones
These are hormones that are made up of lipids. They will directly go inside
the cytoplasm or the cell and the receptor is already inside the cell. Later
on, this will influence the activity of the cell.

Nonsteroid hormones

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 What are Nonsteroid hormones?
These are hormones that are not made up of lipids. They stay at the
cell membrane. They attach in the receptors in the cell membrane.

What are target cells?

Particular or specific cells that can be influenced by a hormone's function

What are receptors?

In biochemistry and pharmacology, receptors are chemical structures,
composed of protein, that receive and transduce signals that may be
integrated into biological systems.

What are glands?

An organ that have cells that secretes materials (hormones) to be brought

to the different regions of the body; sometimes via tube like structures
called duct.

It releases hormones that dictates/influences the activity of cells.

What is a duct?
In anatomy and physiology, a duct is a circumscribed channel leading from an
exocrine gland or organ.

What are the two types of Glands?

Endocrine Gland

Gland that secretes hormones directly into either the bloodstream or

the fluid around the cells (extracellular fluids).

Does not require duct

Secretes hormones directly to bloodstream

Ex. Major Endocrine glands, brain, stomach, small intestine, kidney,

liver and heart.

Exocrine Gland

Gland that secretes substances towards or outside epithelial surfaces

through duct.

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 It secretes substances outside the body.

Through duct, substances will be delivered at specific locations.

Ex. Salivary glands, mucus glands, sweat glands and sebaceous gland.

Image Difference

What is glycogen?
Storage form of sugar.

What is glucagon?

Its purpose is to break down the glycogen in the liver to produce glucose. The
glucose will be secreted to the bloodstream, increasing the sugar in the blood.

What is insulin?

When sugar is high, it absorbs sugar to decrease it.

What is glucose?

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 You may know glucose by another name: blood sugar. Glucose is key to
keeping the mechanisms of the body in top working order. Glucose comes
from the Greek word for "sweet." It's a type of sugar you get from foods you
eat, and your body uses it for energy. As it travels through your bloodstream
to your cells, it's called blood glucose or blood sugar.

3.7 Endocrine System vs. Nervous System

How do hormones influence?

Slow acting

Long-lived

Effects stays longer

How do nerve impulses influence?

Fast acting

Short-lived

Effects/Influence occurs at short moment of time.

3.8 Endocrine Glands

Major Endocrine Glands
Hypothalamus

What are its functions?

It is the "Control centre"

Monitors composition & temperature of blood

Messages interpreted, evaluated : outgoing messages dispatched via

nerves / hormones

Plays role in feedback systems that govern secretions of endocrine

system

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 It is connected to the pituitary gland

Interpret and provides a response to a stimulus by stimulating the

pituitary gland to release hormones.

What are its other functions?

Pituitary Gland

What is it also reffered to as? And why?

Referred as the “master gland” because the hormones that it releases

controls the activities of other endocrine glands.

What is the slender stalk that connects pituitary gland to hypothalamus

Infundibulum

What is the hormone responsible for reducing feeling pain?

Endorphin

How big is it?

Pea sized mass of glandular tissue

How is it triggered?

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 Production of hormones is triggered by the hypothalamus.

What are the two parts of the Pituitary Gland?

Posterior pituitary gland Neurohypophysis)

Anterior pituitary gland Adenohypophysis)

What does it indirectly controls?

Growth

Metabolism

Sexual reproduction

Lactation

What are its hormones?

Thyroid Gland

Where is it located?

Located under the larynx/voice box

“Butterfly” shape

What are its functions?

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 Thyroid hormones helps in maintaining a normal heart rate, blood
pressure, muscle contraction and reproductive function.

It increases in size during puberty & pregnancy

Gland that secretes hormones that plays a role in metabolism, growth

and development, and energy utilization.

What are hormones of thyroid, parathyroid & thymus?

Parathyroid Gland

Where is it located?
Attached to posterior surface of thyroid gland.

What are its functions?

Regulates blood calcium level.

The gland that secretes hormones for the regulation of calcium

concentration in the body.

How big is it?

Small rounded mass

Thymus

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 What are its functions?

Plays a role in the immune system.

Gland that secretes hormones that regulates maturation and functional

competence of the immune system.

Gland that secretes hormones that regulates maturation and functional

competence of the immune system.

Adrenal Gland

Where is it located?
Located superior to the kidney

What are its functions?

Endocrine gland that secretes hormones that causes an increase in

cardiac activity, blood pressure, and blood sugar level.

How is it divided into?

(i) Cortex

(ii) Imedulla

What are other adrenal hormones?

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 Other organs containing endocrine tissue:
Pancreas

Why is it both endocrine and exocrine?

What make it an Endocrine Gland?

For endocrine, it secretes insulin and glucagon to regulate glucose
level in the bloodstream.

What make it an Exocrine Gland?

It is in the digestive system and its function is to release an enzyme

called lipase for the digestion of fat molecules. Its secretion is to the
outside making it an exocrine function.

Why is it both?
Because it has both endocrine and exocrine functions.

What is its function?

Gland that secretes hormones that regulates blood sugar level.

Where is it located?

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 Posterior to stomach, between duodenum on right & spleen on left.

What are its hormones?

Kidneys
The kidneys act as very efficient filters for ridding the body of waste and toxic
substances, and returning vitamins, amino acids, glucose, hormones and other
vital substances into the bloodstream. The kidneys receive a high blood flow
and this is filtered by very specialised blood vessels.

Heart

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and
slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the network of
arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

Digestive Tract
The Digestive Tract or gastrointestinal tract, is the tract from the mouth to the
anus which includes all the organs of the digestive system in humans and
other animals. Food taken in through the mouth is digested to extract nutrients
and absorb energy, and the waste expelled as feces.

Placenta
The placenta is an organ that develops in your uterus during pregnancy. This
structure provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby and removes

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 waste products from your baby's blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of
your uterus, and your baby's umbilical cord arises from it.

Gonads Ovary and Testis/Testes)

What are its functions?

Organs that secrete hormone for the maturation of sex cells and the
development of secondary sex characteristics.

Testes

Where is it located?
Located within scrotum

What are its functions?

Produce testosterone

Stimulates development of male sexual characteristics

What are the hormones of this gonad?

Ovaries

Where is it located?
Located in pelvic cavity.

What are its functions?

Responsible for development & maintenance of female characteristics &
menstrual cycle.

What are the hormones of this gonad?

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 Pineal Gland

Where is it located?

Located near the thalamus of the brain, where the two hemisphere of
the brain join.

What are its functions?

Produces melatonin that regulates body rhythms and sleep patterns.

3.9 Exocrine Glands

Components of skin

What are the Components of skin?

Sebaceous Glands
Secretes oil in the skin & provides moisturization.

Mammary Glands

Who produces these?

Women after pregnancy

Where are they located?

Breasts

What do they secrete?

Milk

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 Salivary Glands

What is its function?

Produces saliva and aids in the digestion of food

Pancreas - both endocrine and exocrine

What make it an Exocrine Gland?

It is also in the digestive system.

It releases enzymes called lipase for the digestion of fat molecules.

It secretes outside the pancreas.

Why is it both?

Because it has both endocrine and exocrine functions.

3.10 Processes Regulated by Hormones

Growth, development, behavior and reproduction.

What are examples of Growth?

(because of estrogen)

What are examples of Development?

(secondary sex characteristics)

What are examples of Behavior?

(mood swings due to hormonal imbalance)

What are examples of Reproduction?

(lutenizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, estrogen, progesterone,
testosterone).

Coordinating the production, use, and storage of energy.

How?

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 Just like glucagon and insulin, produced by the pancreas, it helps in
storing energy (glucose) within the liver.

Maintaining internal homeostasis such as nutrition, water, and salt balance.

What is homeostasis?
Maintanance of the balance within the body.

Reacting to stimuli from outside and inside the body.

What are its examples?

Increase in estrogen level. Feedback Mechanism)

Increase in sugar level. Increase of release of insulin for absorption)

3.11 Important Concepts About Hormones

Some glands starts to secrete hormone at a certain age.

Ex. Gonads starts secreting hormones at puberty.

There is a difference between short-term and long-term hormones.

Effects of hormones such as adrenaline are short-lived, while hormones such
as thyroxine produce long-term and permanent effects in the body.

What is adrenaline?
Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone released into the
body of someone feeling extreme emotions, which causes the person to
have more energy.

What is thyroxine?
Aids in the metabolism of the body. Absorption and utilization of the body.

The production of hormones must be the correct amount.

If it surpass it will lead to gigantism, if it is not enough, then it will result to
dwarfism.

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 Hormones works only on target cells.

They only act on a particular type of cell. They are destined to that target
cell.

Ex. Follicle stimulating hormone - cells of the ovary and sertoli cells of the
testes.

Hormones are destroyed at the liver after they have performed their function.

Once hormones have served their function on their target organs/tissues they
are destroyed. They are either destroyed by the liver or the actual tissues of
the target organs. They are then removed by the kidneys.

3.12 How Hormones

work
 Endocrine glands secretes a hormone that is very specific to a cell type that
receives its instructions.

 Hormones is released to the bloodstream.

 Hormones will be transported to a specific cell of an organ called target cells.

 Hormone will recognize its target cells through its “address” —called the
specific receptors.

 Hormone’s shape (key) matches and binds to a particular receptor (lock) on its
target cells.

 Hormone sends the message that will signal the cell to change its activity.

3.13 Hormone Regulation

What is Feedback mechanism?
Detect and adjust the amount of hormones circulating in the blood or the
amount of other chemicals produced by an initial hormone action.

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 Regulates the actions of hormones.

What are the two types of Feedback Mechanism?

Positive feedback mechanism

Regulation in which increased hormone secretion is enhanced to

produce even more hormones.

Enhances stimuli.

Ex. Contraction of the uterus & increase in estrogen level.

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 Negative feedback mechanism

Counteracts the production of hormones.

Counteracts the action of a particular hormones.

Counteracts stimuli

Ex. Increase in blood sugar level, the brain will send a hormone
towards the pancreas to produce insulin. Since the sugar level in the
bloodstream is high, insulin will help to increase the absorption of sugar.
Insulin also directs the sugar to the liver that will convert it to glycogen.

Ex. Decrease in blood sugar level, the brain will send a hormone
towards the pancreas to produce glucagon. Since the sugar level in the
bloodstream is low, insulin will help to increase the absorption of sugar.
Insulin also directs the sugar to the liver that will convert it to glycogen.

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 3.14 Other Hormones
Serotonin

What are its functions?

Key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and

happiness.

Enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate

with each other

Helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion.

What is it also called as?

happy hormone

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 What happens when its low?

Low level of serotonin causes depression, migraine, weight gain, insomnia,

craving of carbohydrate etc.

What happens when its high?

Excess level of serotonin in the body causes agitation, stage of confusion,
sedation etc.

Oxytocin

What is it also called as?

Love hormone

What are its functions?

Activates feelings of trust and attraction between people when it is
released in the brain, and it rises in the early stages of romantic love.

Dopamine

What is it also called as?

feel good hormone

What are its functions?

Strongly associated with pleasure and reward.

Synthesized in the brain.

Contributing factor in motor function, mood, and even our decision

making. It’s also associated with some movement and psychiatric
disorders.

Certain activity with pleasure, mere anticipation may be enough to

raise dopamine levels.

It could be a certain food, sex, shopping, or just about anything else

that you enjoy.

Adrenaline

What are its functions?

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 Hormone released by the adrenal gland that increases heart rate, blood
pressure and blood sugar level.

Prolactin

What are its functions?

Hormone for the initiation of milk production in females.

Testosterone

What are its functions?

Hormone for sperm maturation and development of male secondary sex

characteristics.

Estrogen & Progesterone

What are its functions?

Hormone for ovary maturation and development of female secondary sex
characteristics.

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